ALPHARETTA, Georgia – Behind 4-under 68s from both Sam Choi and William Mouw, the Pepperdine men's golf team began the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate in third place on Friday.
 
The Waves posted a first-round score of a 9-under 279 at the par-72 Golf Club of Georgia. They're three shots back of co-leaders Georgia Tech and Clemson. Pepperdine recorded two eagles and two birdies on the first hole of the day.
 
The Waves won this tournament last year. This year's event includes seven top-25 teams from the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, while 11 of the 13 teams are in the top 50.
 
PLAYER SCORES

• Graduate Sam Choi (Anaheim, Calif./New Mexico) and senior William Mouw (Chino, Calif./Ontario Christian HS) are both tied for fourth place after their 4-under 68s. Choi had six birdies, three on the front nine and three on the back nine. Mouw's round began with an eagle on the par-5 first hole, and he added three birdies.
• Graduate Luke Gifford (Boca Raton, Fla./South Florida) is tied for 25th after a 1-under 71. He had three birdies during the round.
• Graduate Derek Hitchner (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School) is tied for 34th after an even-par 72. He eagled the first hole and had two birdies.
• Competing as an individual, graduate Roberto Nieves (Miami, Fla./Delaware) is tied for 50th after a 74. He had three birdies on Friday.
• Sophomore Ian Maspat (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch HS) is 74th after an 81. He posted two birdies.

UP NEXT
 
Pepperdine will be paired with Georgia Tech and Clemson for Saturday's second round. They'll start on the first tee beginning at 9:55 a.m. ET.
 
THE NUMBERS
 
Team Scores: T1. Georgia Tech 276; T1. Clemson 276; 3. Pepperdine 279; T4. Stanford 280; T4. Alabama 280; 6. Washington 282; 7. Georgia Tech "B" 283; T8. Wake Forest 284; T8. Virginia 284; 10. Tennessee 286; T11. USC 290; T11. East Tennessee State 290; 13. Duke 291; 14. Texas A&M 299.
 
Top Individuals: T1. Nick Dunlap (Alabama) 65; T1. Hiroshi Tai (Georgia Tech) 65; 3. Ben James (Virginia) 67; T4. eight players tied at 68.